Botany and mycology: Collection

Contacts: PD Dr. Mike Thiv, PD Dr. Stefan Abrahamczyk

The herbarium Stuttgart is the largest collection of ferns and flowering plants in the state of Baden-Württemberg. The focus of the collection is on Baden-Württemberg and neighbouring areas of Central Europe. The following important collections from this region are included:

Uwe Amarell, Erwin von Arand-Ackerfeld, Karl Bertsch, Ernst Bolter, Georg Wolfgang Brielmaier, Friedrich Hegelmaier, Wilhelm Kreh, Christian Maier, Adolf Mayer, Karl Müller, Julius Plankenhorn, Walter Plieninger, Evarist Rebholz, Heinrich Sautermeister, Karl Schlenker, Ernst Schüz, Oskar Sebald, Siegmund Seybold, Arno Wörz and the „Landesherbar“ („Herbariums für vaterländische Naturkunde“ und „Herbarium der Centralstelle des landwirtschaftlichen Vereins“)

The Stuttgart herbarium also holds important collections from the rest of Europe, in particular from France (Jean Prudhomme), Greece (August von Hayek, Theodor von Heldreich), Norway (Johann Gottlob von Kurr), Portugal (Ulrich Deil) and Spain (Ulrich Deil, Friedrich Hegelmaier, Max Nydegger, Pietro Porta, Jean Prudhomme, Gregorio Rigo).

The Stuttgart herbarium also focusses on Ethiopia (Oskar Sebald, Wilhelm Schimper), Morocco (Ulrich Deil), South Africa (Christian Friedrich Ecklon, Friedrich von Krauss, Carl Baron von Ludwig, Hans Joachim Schlieben, Rudolf Georg Strey et al.), India (Joseph Dalton Hooker, Johann Friedrich Metz, Thomas Thomson), Iran (Johannes Bornmüller, Theodor Kotschy, Jürgen Schedler), Australia (Ferdinand von Müller, Arno Wörz) and New Zealand (Thomas Kirk).

An index of the most important collectors us given in Engelhardt & Seybold (2009): „Die Sammler von Farn- und Blütenpflanzen der Herbariums des Staatlichen Museums für Naturkunde in Stuttgart (STU)“.

Valuable collections have also been added in more recent times. In the last years, large collections have been acquired, for example from Jean Prudhomme (50,000 specimen), Hippolyte François Jaubert (10,300), Friedrich Schupp (10,000 specimen), Günter Gottschlich (Tauschverein Liege and Allgemeines Herbar; 11,000 specimen, excl. Hieracium), Volker Hellmann (13,500 specimen), Gerda and Prof. Wilhelm Sauer (50,000 specimen) and duplicates from Max Nydegger (6,000 via Günter Gottschlich). The fern collection was greatly expanded by specimens from Marcus Lehnert from Ecuador and Papua New Guinea (reference collections from research projects, approx. 1,000 specimen) and Günther Zenner (50,000 specimen) from Central Europe. In addition, the entire herbarium (17,000 specimen) of the University of Freiburg was taken over in 2024. Numerous current specimen from the floristic mapping and voucher material of other scientific activities (GBOL) have been deposited in STU. They are thus available for future work. In addition to the herbarium specimen collection, there is also an extensive fruit and seed collection as well as a wood collection.

This collection is ordered alphabetically and substructured geographically. Since 2000 all newly acquired specimens are databased.

Literatur:

Barge, A. (2011): Das Herbarium von Oberlehrer Evarist Rebholz aus Tuttlingen. – Jahreshefte der Gesellschaft für Naturkunde in Württemberg 167: 227-246. Stuttgart.

Engelhardt, M. und S. Seybold (2009): Die Sammler von Farn- und Blütenpflanzen des Herbariums des Staatlichen Museums für Naturkunde in Stuttgart (STU). - Jahreshefte der Gesellschaft für Naturkunde in Württemberg 165/2, S. 5-162. Stuttgart. (pdf download)

Gottschlich, G. (2015): Bestand und Genese des Herbariums Hegelmaier (STU). Dargestellt am Beispiel der Gattung Hieracium (Asteraceae) mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Typus-Belege. - Jahreshefte der Gesellschaft für Naturkunde in Württemberg 171: 21-50. Stuttgart.

Pleines, T. und M. Engelhardt (2006): Das Herbarium von Karl Schlenker. - Jahreshefte der Gesellschaft für Naturkunde in Württemberg 162, S. 129-135. Stuttgart

Sebald, O. (1983): Alexander Wilhelm Martini (1702-1781), ein Begleiter J. G. Gmelins auf der Sibirien-Reise, und sein Herbarium. - Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde Serie A (Biologie) 368. 24 S. Stuttgart. (pdf download)

Wörz, A., Oettler, G. & M. Engelhardt (2009): Georges Cuviers "Reise auf die Württembergische Alb" – ein zeit- und wissenschaftliches Dokument. – Jahreshefte der Gesellschaft für Naturkunde in Württemberg 165/1: 301-336. Stuttgart

Wörz, A. (2007): The "Botanische Reiseverein" - A 19th century joint-stock company for the collecting of herbarium specimens. - Huntia 13(2): 121-141.

Wörz, A- (2016). Der Esslinger botanische Reiseverein 1825-1845. Eine Aktiengesellschaft zur Durchführung naturkundlicher Sammelreisen – Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Wissenschafts- und Technikgeschichte 9: 1-211. Berlin.

Contact: Dr. Holger Thüs

This part of the herbarium was founded by Georg von Martens (1788-1872). It consists of several old collections of which the oldest specimen dates back to 1791. The first floristic list of mosses in Württemberg written in 1862 was based on these collections. The following important collections were included: Friedrich Hegelmaier (9,000 specimens), Carl Albert Kemmler, Lorenz Herter, Karl Bertsch (9,000), Max Eggler, Fritz Koppe (40,000), Ruprecht Düll (23,000).
The geographic focus is on the state of Baden-Württemberg. Moreover, many specimens were collected in the Alps (Hegelmaier, Eggler, Koppe et al.), Germany (Koppe), Greece (Düll), Spain (Hegelmaier, Koppe), Cyprus, Madeira, Canaries (Koppe) and in the neotropics (Ecuador, Schäfer-Verwimp).

In 2008 the herbaria of Eckhart Walsemann (11,000) and Gerd Mechmershausen (6,000) were acquired. Large collections could be included in 2010: the herbaria of Renate Lübenau-Nestle (10,000), Wolfgang Frey (6,700) and Oskar Sebald (3,200). Recently, our collections could be completed by 12,000 specimens collected by Alfons Schäfer-Verwimp.

The geographic focus of the mosses, horn- and liverworts collections is on Baden-Württemberg. Several collections within Europe came from the Alps (Hegelmaier, Eggler, Koppe, Lübenau-Nestle, Nebel), northern Germany (Koppe, Walsemann, Mechmershausen), eastern Germany (Koppe), Greece (Düll, Nebel), Spain, in particular the Balearic islands (Hegelmaier, Koppe). Further focuses are on the Middle East including Cyprus (Koppe, Frey, Lübenau-Nestle, Frey), Madeira, the Canaries (Koppe, Schäfer-Verwimp) and North America (Düll). Several collections from the tropics, in special Ecuador (Schäfer-Verwimp, Preussing, Nebel) could be housed at STU.

The fungal collections (Fungaria) are separated in two parts: (1) lichenized (lichen forming) and lichenicolous (parasites on lichens) fungi, (2) all other fungi and unrelated fungal look-alikes (e.g. plasmodial slime moulds).

(1) Collection of lichenized and lichenicolous fungi

Contact: Dr. Holger Thüs

With its 105.000 specimens (mostly fully incorporated) our lichen collection is one of the largest in Germany. It contains ca. 6800 taxa and more than 450 known type specimens. In the period from 1971 to 2001 the collection was curated by Volkmar Wirth. He alone added app. 35.000 of his own specimens to the collection.

The collection contains ca. 16.000 specimens from various exsiccate series, e.g. an almost complete set of F.G.C Arnold Lichenes Exsiccati (1879-1900).

The oldest parts of the collection are specimens from the herbarium of Gottfried Gärtner (Flora der Wetterau, 1799-1802) and H.C. Funckh (Cryptogamische Gewächse des Fichtelgebirg’s, 1800-1804).

Early parts of our collection from the territory of what is today Baden-Württemberg come from the herbaria of F. Hegelmaier, F. Sautermeister and E. Schütz. Valuable specimens from G. Kurr (mostly from SW-Germany) were transferred with the herbarium of the University of Stuttgart to our museum. During the first half of the 20^th century, the herbarium of K. Bertsch (incl. many specimens from M. Eggler) was the most substantial addition. More recently numerous specimens from the Alps (R. Türk) and the complete collection of U.Kirschbaum (Central Europe, Makaronesia, Mediterraneum) were added to the lichen collection.

The historical geographic focus is on Baden-Württemberg. Our collection is a reference for the books “Flechtenflora” and “Die Flechten Baden-Württembergs” by Volkmar Wirth. Much further material is from Central Europe, particularly from non-alpine silicate mountain ranges (V. Wirth). Makaronesia (U. Kirschbaum), the dry parts in the South of Africa and southwestern parts of South America (V.Wirth) are well represented and complemented by important exsiccate series from all over the world.

Currently our collection continues to grow by additions from ongoing research projects on biodiversity change in Baden-Württemberg and Central Europe, as well as global taxonomic studies on the species rich family Verrucariacae (Ascomycota).

(2) Fungarium (excluding lichens)

Contact: Dr. Holger Thüs

The remaining fungal collection (excluding the separated lichenized and lichenicolous species) contains ca. 47.000 specimens  with more than 500 known type specimens. It was curated for over 40 years (until the turn of the millennium) by Hans Haas on a voluntary basis. The collection contains specimens from H. Haas, M. Hallermeier, F.L. Sautermeister, A. Gminder and the large fungarium of F. Krieglsteiner. We also curate a large collection of water colour paintings of fungi created by T.Gottschick, H.Spaeth, E.Schaupp, H.Maser, O.Baral, A.Hahne and H.Haas. Among the not yet incorporated fungaria (e.g. E. Schütz) are exsiccate series by H. Sydow, P. Sydow, L.Fuckel, O.Jaap and W. Krieger. A separate collection of rust fungi contains specimens from K. Müller, F.L.Sautermeister and K. Bertsch.

Among the more recent collections of the last few years, are specimens from the project GBOL-Fungi (German Barcode of Life). These specimens were used for molecular studies by the research group of U. Eberhardt and are enriched by DNA-barcode sequences.

Contact: Dr. Holger Thüs

It contains about 10,000 specimens with important material by Georg von Martens, Emil Schüz und G. H. von Zeller, the exsiccatae of „Algae marinae siccatae“ by Hohenacker and of European Characeae by H. und W. Krause.